Warriors reportedly expect Jimmy Butler back from injury for Game 4 vs. Rockets
SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors star Jimmy Butler is reportedly expected to play in Monday night’s Game 4 against the Houston Rockets.
Butler is listed as questionable with a pelvic contusion, but he and the Warriors expect him to return, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, after he missed Saturday’s Game 3. He participated fully in the morning shootaround, Charania reported.
Butler was hurt in the first quarter of Game 2 when he landed hard on his backside after leaping for a rebound and being undercut by Houston’s Amen Thompson. He left the game shortly thereafter and was questionable for Game 3 before ultimately sitting out.
The Warriors won Game 3 at Chase Center on Saturday night, 104-93, as Butler looked on from the bench in street clothes with a pelvic injury and glute contusion and Golden State took a 2-1 lead in the series.
On Sunday, Kerr told media that Butler was questionable for Monday’s Game 4.
The Warriors’ season turned around upon Butler’s arrival as they went 23-8 the rest of the regular season after he played his first game for them Feb. 8 in Chicago. After Saturday’s game, they’re now 1-1 without him.
Butler averaged 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the regular season, and his impact went beyond the box score. After the trade, the Warriors had the top defense in the league according to defensive rating (109.0).
The Warriors won Game 1 in Houston after Butler scored 25 points and had five steals, but lost Game 2 109-94.
Steph Curry and Gary Payton II are both listed on the Warriors’ injury report as available. Curry has been dealing with a right thumb injury for months, and Payton also has a left thumb issue.
Should Butler return as expected, that puts Jonathan Kuminga’s place in the rotation into question.
The fourth-year forward had been a healthy scratch for three consecutive games until Butler’s injury. He then played 26 minutes in Game 2, and started in Game 3.